A Bounty for Immigration Arrests in WV?

Listen to “A Bounty for Immigration Arrests in WV?” on Spreaker. A story published October 1 in The Wall Street Journal says the Doddridge County Sheriff’s Department has been taking part in President Trump’s deportation campaign since February. According to the Journal’s reporting, Sheriff Clinton Boring “had his sights on new squad cars.” “I honestly

I Don’t Know About the Death Penalty

Listen to “I Don’t Know About the Death Penalty” on Spreaker. “I don’t know” isn’t a cursed condition. Sometimes, it’s a blessing. Struggling with difficult ideas and policies — really wrestling with them — can ultimately produce wisdom. I don’t know what I think about capital punishment. Despite periodic calls to reinstate the death penalty

Morrisey Bungles Nuclear Power Campus Rollout… Then Pulls Out

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey has fumbled badly with the release of critical information about the state’s months-long pursuit of a federal nuclear energy hub.  The missteps have contributed to concern and confusion over the state’s potential hosting of a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus.   And now the state has pulled out altogether. What was missing

Why Would DOE Want to Go Forward?

Listen to “Why Would DOE Want to Go Forward?” on Spreaker. As time passes, thoughts crystallize. Here’s my conclusion: There is now very little chance of a Nuclear Innovation Lifecycle Campus coming to fruition in West Virginia. The Department of Energy has vast experience deploying government capital through grants, research programs and other innovation initiatives.

Wheeling: Still Tough as Nails

The "Nail City" comes by the name honestly

Breaking Down the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus Story

There’s an old saying: the devil is in the details. So very true. When it comes to West Virginia’s effort to land a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, there are a lot of details. Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by Charleston Gazette-Mail reporter Mike Tony give us our clearest look yet at

Why is West Virginia in the Gift Shop Business?

A recent legislative audit of the state’s Department of Arts, Culture and History — now under the purview of the West Virginia Department of Tourism — makes finding an upside a stretch, to say the least. An optimist might say, “It could have been worse.” Auditors found major financial and inventory problems, including funds over-encumbered

Warren’s Social Security Fix: Pay More Income Taxes

Listen to “Warren Says Higher Earners Should Pay More” on Spreaker. Senator Elizabeth Warren has seemingly found what she believes is an easy way to help fix Social Security: tax more income. Not her best idea and certainly not new. This year, workers pay Social Security taxes on the first $184,500 they earn. Warren argues

The Hard Truth About Poverty in West Virginia

I wrote about West Virginia’s poverty level in last week’s commentary, based on U.S. Census figures. However, those numbers do tell only part of the story of the financial challenges in our state. The United Way’s ALICE report is more revealing. ALICE stands for asset limited, income constrained and employed.  It’s a measure of those

Jefferson Warned Us on Debt

Listen to “Jefferson Warned Us on Debt” on Spreaker. Thomas Jefferson warned us. We didn’t listen. In 1789, while serving as U.S. minister to France, Jefferson sent a letter across the Atlantic to James Madison. He offered Madison this thought: “the earth belongs in usufruct to the living… that the dead have neither powers nor

With the 2026 midterm still weeks away, the 2028 election cycle is underway

I got polled over the weekend. Few share my excitement about taking a few minutes out of my day to answer a political survey—understandably so. However, given my role on Talkline, I was more curious about the poll’s purpose than about the chance to share my opinion. I get to do that every day. As

Jobs Can Fix a Lot, Including Bad Stats

Listen to “Jobs Can Fix a Lot, Including Bad Stats” on Spreaker. The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce released its annual Campaign for Jobs Digest to the broader public Wednesday. The numbers are not good. West Virginia’s 10-year job-growth rate ranks 50th in America. Personal income ranks 49th. The state’s overall tax burden is among

West Virginia’s Mixed Report on Poverty

The U.S. Census Bureau has released new figures on poverty in America, and for West Virginia the findings are mixed.  I’ll get to those numbers shortly, but first here is some context: The data come from the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics.  The agencies look at poverty two ways:  The official poverty figure

’48 of 123′ Stat is Chilling; Action is Prudent

Listen to “’48 of 123′ Stat is Chilling; Action is Prudent” on Spreaker. A legislative interim meeting Monday discussing child-welfare safeguards and school-transfer oversight dropped a bombshell statistic: In Kanawha County, 48 of 123 recent homeschool notices involved students with histories of chronic absenteeism. That should stop a train of oxen in its tracks. What

Remembering the Battle of Harper’s Ferry

Today is the anniversary of one of the most significant days in Civil War history and West Virginia’s role in it.    On this date in 1862, at the Battle of Harpers Ferry, Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson forced the surrender of a 12,500-man Union garrison.  It was the largest single surrender of U.S. Army

Let Kids Fail

Listen to “Let Kids Fail” on Spreaker. “Failure isn’t your enemy — it’s your greatest teacher. I’ve failed more times than I can count. But every setback gave me something valuable in return,” says author, pastor and speaker John Maxwell. He’s right. Yet when it comes to our children, we often treat failure less as

‘Go Watch What is Happening’

As best memory serves, the class was a management course in the old Business and Economics Building on WVU’s campus. Dr. Neil Bucklew, a former WVU president, had retired from the presidency but still taught a course or two in the College of Business. It was a morning class, starting around 9, it seems. He

Remembering 9/11

(Editor’s note: This is an updated version of a commentary I posted several years ago around the anniversary of 9/11.) Has it really been 25 years since the September 11 attacks? Consider this: Nearly half the U.S. population—45 percent—was either not yet born or too young to remember when the World Trade Center towers burned

‘It Has to Be Jim’

“It has to be Jim.” That line came up all weekend, no matter the locale — lunch, grabbing coffee, sitting in a waiting room, exchanging texts, watching football. It came up in almost every political conversation. Those “Anybody but Morrisey” conservatives already talking about 2028 are not pushing that narrative because they dislike the other

When is it time for the next generation of lawmakers to step up?

You’ve often heard a professional athlete or coach answer a question about retirement by saying something to the effect of “I’ll know when it is time.” The reality is, the individual athlete is typically the last one to know when it is time because, in their mind, they believe they can still perform at the